Portable boat-boom



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. B. HOYT.

PORTABLE BOAT BOOM. No. 328.405.

Patented Oct. 13,1885.

WITNESSES (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. B. HOYT. PORTABLE BOAT BOOM.

No. 328,405. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

ERS. Phololjflloguphur, washin mn, D4 C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. HOYT, OF GHIPPEWA FALLS, WISCONSIN.

PORTABLE BOAT-BOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,405, dated October 13,1885.

Application filed May 9, 1885. Serial No. 164,920. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HoYT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chippewa Falls, in the county of Chippewa and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Boat- Booms; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved portable boat-boom. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view, and Fig. 4 is a top or plan view illustrating my improved boom in various positions for operation.

The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to a device which I designate a portable boat-boom or adj ustable boom for the arrangement and transfer in rivers, streams, and other currents of floating articles-such as logs and submerged obstructions-the nature of which admits of their being shifted by the action, when properly applied, of a powerful current-such as sand-bars and the like-whether so located as to form bars, eddies, or other obstructions to traffic. The invention, with these ends in view, consists in a portable float having wings or vanes which may be adjusted so as to guide the current in which the float is placed in the desired direction, the construction of the said float being such that any desired number of the said floats may be connected or coupled together, either in a longitudinal direction or vertically, substantially as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, A designates one of the floats of my improved boom, which consists of upper and lower side pieces, B B and C G, converging front pieces, D D and E E, connecting-bars or cross-pieces F F and G G, and longitudinal beams H and I, the upper one of which, H, is provided with a longitudinal slot, J, and suitable vertical braces,

K, connecting the upper and lower parts of the frame thus formed.

On a vertical shaft, L, between the upper and lower longitudinal beams, H and I, is mounted a central vertical board or deflector, M, to which, in rear of the shaft or pivotingpoint, are attached a pair of ropes or chains, N N, passing through guide-eyes or over pulleys O 0 upon the under sides of the side beams B B and to a drum, 1?, upon a vertical shaft, Q, journaled in front of the center-board, to which said drum they are attached after being wound in opposite directions thereon,as shown. The upper end of the said shaft Qis provided with a lever or other suitable handle, B, by means of which it may be readily manipulated, so as to operate the center-board and adj ustit to any desired angle.

On shafts S S, between the upper and lower side beams, B B and C O, and in a line with the shaft L, are mounted a pair of deflectingboards, T T, one of which acts as a shear-vane, and the other as a lee-vane, for the adjustment of which suitable means are to be provided. Additional deflecting-wings U U are mounted on shafts V V, between the front ends of the side beams of the float, in such a manner that they may be folded in between the converging front beams, D D and E E, and suitable means are also provided for the adjustment to and retention in any desired position of the said wings II.

On a shaft, W, mounted vertically between the rear ends of the longitudinal beams H I, is mounted a rudder or vane, X, to which, in rear of its pivoting-point, are attached a pair of ropes or chains, Y Y, which, after passing through suitable guideeyes or over pulleys Z Z upon the under sides of the upper side beams, B B, are wound in opposite directions upon and attached to a drum, A, on a vertical shaft, B. The upper end of the latter is provided with a lever or handle, 0, by means of which it may be manipulated to regulate the position of the rudder or vane.

It will be seen that by the construction and operation of parts as herein described the several wings or deflectors may be closed or folded so as to register with the frame-beams,in which position the float may be readily towed to any place where it shall be desired to use it. The

float may then be anchored and the deflectingwings adjusted so as to intercept the current and cause it to take any desired course, either for the purpose of washing away sand-bars or other obstructions, or for the purpose of washing sand and the like from any one point to another, for the purpose of filling holes by which eddies are formed, or for a variety of other purposes which it is not necessary here to enlarge upon. A single float of suitable dimensions may be used when it is deemed sufficient forthe object which is to be accomplished; or a series of floats may be coupled together, so as to form a line of the desired length. WVhere the depth of the water renders it necessary, two or more floats may also be placed on top of one another and coupled or connected together in any suitable manner.

The floats may be advantageously used in the construction of a log-boom, which has the important advantage of being able to cause the logs to be washed in any desired direction as, for instance, from one side of a river to the other.

In the construction of this device I would have it understood that numerous modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus, for instance, different means from those herein shown may be adopted for the adjustment and retention of the vane or rudder and the deflecting wings or boards, and the number of deflecting-wings at the sides might sometimes be profitably increased. I reserve to myself the right to these and to all other structural changes which may be legitimately adopted. Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. A portable right or left hand 'boom or float consisting of a suitably-constructed frame having a series of central vertical pivoted wings or deflectors, and suitable means for the adjustment of the same and fortheir retention in any position to which they may be adjusted, ashear-vane at one side of the said frame and alee-vane at the other, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. In a portable right or left hand boom or float, the combination of a suitably-constructed frame having a tapering front end formed by converging front pieces, wings, or deflectors pivoted between the upper and lower sides of the said frame and adapted to fold toward the tapering front end, a central pivoted defleeting-board, and suitable adjusting mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a portable boom or float, the combina-v tion of a suit-able frame having a shear-vane at one side and a lee-vane at the other, a central vertical pivoted wing-or deflector, a vertical pivoted vane or rudder, and suitable adjusting mechanism for the said deflector and vanes, substantially as and for the purpose set-- forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing-as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

